The Wee Vine

Sixty years of the Over 60s Christmas Dinner

A wonderful time was had by all at the diamond celebration of Kippen Over 60s Christmas dinner. Mary Lawson opened the afternoon thanking all the organisations, businesses and individuals who came together to arrange this community event. Ellen Larson-Davidson said the grace. A delicious meal was provided by Cameron Skinner and his team with a musical accompaniment from pianist Annabel Gaywood. A special cake was shared, and entertainment followed. Graham Whyte also known as Silly Billy involved the guests in a fun cabaret enabling James Ballingham to read Sheila’s mind for the first time in 60 years of marriage. A splendid raffle ensued made possible by many generous donations. A commemorative mug designed by Julie McEachern and funded by a grant from Falck Renewables was presented to each guest and delivered to those unable to attend on the day. Music from Billy Hutton and Jim Burns was appreciated by enthusiastic dancers and the afternoon concluded with Auld Lang Syne. Anne Hillis gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the guests. Volunteer drivers, servers and hall decorators are thanked as are the many other supporters who made the day possible.

An album of photographs is being collated as part of Kippen heritage. A selection is presented here.

Tracy Hepburn

The brainchild of Kathleen McKellar Ferguson, singing teacher at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, “Classics at Kippen” was born in 2012. Its purpose is threefold – to provide much needed performing experience for young music students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, to raise money for charity and to provide a high-class concert performance which makes for a lovely community event for the people of Kippen and further afield. To date “Classics at Kippen” has raised over £20,000 for charities including Crossroads,” Raucous Rossini”, Erskine and Kippen Parish Church.

 SAVE THE DATE!!

The next Classics at Kippen Concert will take place in Kippen Parish church on Saturday 23 March at 7.30pm. This will take the form of a duet recital by two former students of Kathleen’s from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Soprano Hannah Sandison and mezzo soprano Annabella Ellis have both sung at Glyndebourne and are forging very promising and successful international singing careers. The concert will include light classics and some “fun stuff”! Tickets can be obtained via our website www.classicsatkippen.co.uk  , where you can also be added to our mailing list, or you can contact Kathleen at http://www.kmckellarferguson.com.

Award winning soprano Hannah Sandison is a graduate of The Royal College of Music International Opera School and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she won The Governers Recital Prize. She was the recipient of several awards throughout her studies, including from the AHRC, The Countess of Munster Musical Trust, and Help Musicians UK.

Hannah has since gone on to sing for English Touring Opera, Mid Wales Opera and most recently Glyndebourne Festival Opera where she made her debut as The Cockerel in The Cunning Little Vixen, and also covered the role of Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Other operatic roles include Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte), Micaela (Carmen), Drusilla (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), and Metella (La Vie Parisienne). As a busy oratorio and concert performer, recital venues include the London Handel Festival, The Oxford Lieder Festival, at the Pushkin House, London, and The Rachmaninov Hall, Moscow. She has performed Gala’s with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, two Gala’s in Corfu, and Mahler’s Second Symphony with the London Mahler Orchestra. Hannah has performed as a soloist at St. Martin’s in the Field, the Royal Festival Hall, The Sage, Gateshead and The Royal Albert Hall.

She has performed live on BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio 3 In Tune. She looks forward to several concerts including Elijah (Mendelssohn), and a Haydn Harmoniemesse. In 2019 she will sing Tatiana (Eugine Onegin) and Lisa (Pique Dame) with the Milton Keynes City Orchestra.

Annabella Ellis was born in Norwich, Norfolk. At the age of six Annabella commenced her studies at Central School of Dancing and Performing Arts, where she specialised in theatre and dance. She continued her education at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, gained her Master of Arts at the Royal Academy of Music, and completed her Master of Music in Opera Studies at the Royal Conservatoire Scotland.

Annabella has participated in Masterclasses with Dimitr Vdovin, Elizabeth Vidal, Jennifer Larmore, Irina Gavrilovici, Kathryn Harries, Helmut Deutsch, Christoph Prégardien, Rachel Nicholls, Benjamin Luxon, Edith Weins, Susan Youens and Emma Kirby.
In 2012 Annabella is awarded First Prize in the Competition “Norfolk Young Musician”, in 2014 she is a finalist in the Maureen Lehane competition and obtains Second Prize in the English Song and Third Prize in the Isabella Jay Aria competitions at the Royal Academy of Music.

From the opera repertoire she has performed Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Orlovsky (Die Fledermaus), Fiordiligi (Cosí fan Tutte), Mrs Coyle (Owen Wingrave), Mercédes
(Carmen), Tonina (Prima la music e poi le parole), Sirene (Rinaldo), Drusilla/Amor (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Belinda/ Second Witch/ Sailor (Dido and Aeneas) in festivals like Dorset Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, British Youth Opera or Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

In the realm of the symphonic repertoire she recently made her French début singing alto solo in Mozart’s Requiem at the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse and has also appeared as alto solo in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Bach’s C Minor Mass, amongst others. Notable recital performances include performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in the Sighisoara Music Festival, Britten 100 and at the Wigmore Hall.

The annual Whist Drive to raise money for Cancer Research will be held in the Village Hall on Friday 1st February at 7pm. This year, entrance money will be collected as you arrive (£3 per head with no charge for those hosting tables). If you would like reserve a table please contact Stuart Thomson on 01786 870529, 07736 362011, or stuartsthomson@aol.com. This is a great village occasion with a long history of raising money for this very worthy cause.

There will be some practice Whist sessions in the Reading Rooms on Tuesdays 15th, 22nd and 29th January at 7.30pm. Come and learn how to play or have a brush up session. All are most welcome.

Naomi Hirst